Peru: Anti-govt protesters block roads, storm international airport

In Peru, anti-government protesters blocked roads and stormed the international airport in the second city Arequipa as deadly unrest intensified. Hundreds used burning tyres, wood and rocks on Monday to block an airport runway in the country’s second-largest city, Arequipa. Supporters of leftist former President Pedro Castillo took to the streets in anger at his impeachment and arrest. The protesters blocked roads and set vehicles to fire. Police finally dispersed them with tear gas. Castillo's successor and former deputy, Dina Boluarte however proposed bringing general elections forward by two years to April 2024 in response to the protests. According to media reports, at least seven people have been killed in clashes with the security forces since protests erupted last Wednesday. Castillo was accused of corruption and detained for attempting to dissolve the opposition-controlled Congress, just hours before it was due to vote on his impeachment. 

Protests swiftly broke out across the country, with many supporters of the detained former leader demanding that Peru hold elections rather than allow Boluarte to stay in power until Castillo’s term ends in 2026. Some protesters have also called for Congress to be shut down. In a handwritten letter posted on Twitter on Monday, Castillo called for a constituent assembly. He vowed he “will not resign” and called Boluarte a “usurper”. He also said that “the people should not fall for their dirty games of new elections”. He said he was “humiliated, incommunicado, mistreated and kidnapped”.